How Snow & Ice Can Impact Your Gutters

Many of us are looking forward to a nice snowy winter season and in the Columbus area, there’s a lot to love about them! Winter festivals, snowy mornings with a hot drink—even neighborhood caroling if you’re into that. But the snow and ice we love to look at can cause some unfortunate damage around the home, which is what we want to make you better aware of with this blog post. Namely, we’ll be talking about gutters since we covered roofs a while back—check it out here if you haven’t already.

As trusted home service specialists in the Columbus, Ohio area, we’re dedicated to helping clients get and maintain the best home products out there. We want you to enjoy this winter, not dread it when you’ve got dented or sagging gutters.

Want to protect your gutters this winter? Need a gutter replacement after some bad luck? Call our gutter specialists today at 614-254-5489 or contact us online!

The Biggest Threat Comes from Ice Dams

Ice dams come as a result of snow or ice melting on your roof. The ice thaws just enough to start acting like water again, but it’s still cold enough to freeze. So when it runs down to your eaves or gutters, it refreezes and starts forming literal dams of ice. The process repeats over and over and soon enough, you’ve got some large, stuck-on, and annoying ice dams.

Smallish ice dams aren’t all that threatening. They’re usually just going to result in some icicles, which many of us enjoy. But you have to keep an eye on ice dams! Once they start getting too big, they can become far too heavy for your gutters to deal with, resulting in the weight literally pulling your gutters away from the exterior wall and roof.

Be Sure to Keep Your Gutters Clean

Snow isn’t typically a massive issue, but what you do need to watch out for is the fact that snow can carry a lot of minerals, which can cause buildup in your gutters. As you might expect, excessive buildup leads to less flow, which can cause blockages that lead to water shooting out onto your lawn and walkways. If that happens, it’s going to become a tripping hazard in a hurry.

If you’re having trouble keeping snow and ice out of your gutters, a simple ice melt can work well enough. Those based in magnesium are overall the safest—and they’re fairly cheap, too. Avoid using salt, however, since it can damage your gutter materials!

Gutter Services & Solutions with APCO in Columbus

Worried about the state of your gutters this winter season? Need some help getting things under control after a winter storm? Call on the home service experts at APCO for perfect gutter solutions and top class products!

You can reach us online at any time or on the phone at 614-254-5489 to talk to a gutter expert near you!

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